Tuesday, July 14, 2009

How many times over the past year have you heard the term "Green?" To be honest I've heard it enough to be sick of it, but I'm not sick of what the term "Green" means. Our planet is not a renewable resource, and with roughly 6 billion people living on Earth we should each try and do our part to keep our home as clean and healthy as possible. But, I'm not here to preach about how we should all be living, instead I'll fill you in on a few products that we have that will help you do your part.

You don't have to be an Environmental Crusader to do your part, you can pick up some garbage laying on the street or recycle your plastics and aluminum. If you're not a recycler it's not too late to start. Most of us don't recycle because we feel like it's a hassle, with a product like Rev-A-Shelf's recycling center it's easy. This unit is mounted inside a cabinet and is compartmentalized into 3 bins and one canvas bag. The one shown in the picture is with multi-colored bins to make sorting easy but it does come in all white too. That way you can sort as you go inside the house and just take one bin at a time outside as it gets full. Hassle free!

Rev-A-Shelf has also come out with a new line of kitchen organizers made out of Bamboo. What's so special about Bamboo? Bamboo is a rapid growth wood that is very strong and durable and looks pretty cool too. As a frame of reference; according to INBAR (International Network for Bamboo and Rattan) a 60 foot tree cut for market takes 60 years to replace, where a 60 foot bamboo cut for market takes 59 days to replace.

Another type of wood that's on the rise in use is Mango wood, Mango wood is eco-friendly because it used to be grown for the sole purpose of bearing fruit. Mango trees grow to be pretty large and their fruit production is about 20 years. After they stop bearing fruit they are cut down. Now Mango wood is being harvested after fruit production for multiple uses. Not only is the Mango tree re-purposed, but it's an alternative wood to Teak and Mahogany that's being harvested in fragile forests.

A new line of hardware for us is by a company called Duverre, they've come out with numerous collections made from recycled Aluminum. Here is an excerpt from their website, "Die cast aluminum hardware is precision crafted from post-consumer recycled aluminum. This methodology causes less impact on the environment. Using post consumer recycled aluminum reduces the generation of air and water pollution by 95%, requires only 5% of the energy and greenhouse gasses used in production of new metals, and helps prevent clear-cutting of tropical rain forests. Die cast aluminum hardware allows for precise measurements and consistent finishes, ensuring that each production piece is identical to and as flawless as the original." Not only is Duverre responsibly manufacturing items, but they've got a number of finish & style choices to choose from.

The last company that I want to talk about is called Longleaf Bronze. They manufacturer bath hardware, door locks and accessories. Longleaf Bronze, has been ISO 14001 rated. ISO is the acronym for International Standardization Organization. The ISO rating basically means they set certain standards and companies have to follow those standards to get a certain rating. The 14001 rating has to do with the environment; the ISO states that a company has to "Identify and control environmental impact of activities, products or services and to improve environmental performance continually." Longleaf Bronze basically has made a commitment to set a high standard and uphold it to reduce their environmental impact in their manufacturing processes.

So, you don't have to go out of your way to reduce your carbon footprint, and you don't have to go buy a hybrid car to help out mother earth. Next time you're shopping around for new home stuff check out these companies and products. Oh yeah, and don't forget your reusable bag!